CIWRO focuses on research in weather radar, regional climate, societal impacts, severe weather, and more. A NOAA Cooperative Institute led by the University of Oklahoma, CIWRO transitioned from CIMMS in 2021, continuing CIMMS's more than 40-years of research excellence.

The mission of this cooperative institute is to promote collaborative research with NOAA on research to improve the understanding of severe and high-impact weather and to help produce better forecasts and warnings that save lives and property.

A consortium, CIWRO's partner institutions include Howard University, The Pennsylvania State University, Texas Tech University, and University at Albany.